Training Day

City scape time lapse - dark sky - clouds move through each  other, movments dont conform, some go left some go right

Radio - diagetics, to create atmosphere

180 degree line is everything

Facial close ups on denzel, hawk doesnt get facial closeup. SHows denzel dominates scene

Two shot - focused with people in background

Non-diagetic music

Cut to action.

Strange camera angles, disrupts the scene- shows how uncomfortable ethan hawks character is.

Still moving shot of hood ornament

Police sirens in background - foreshadows conflict between the two

Never shows the legs - body language

We see denzel’s legs once, shows that he draws focus towards himself

Monte Carlo - Lowrider - hydraulics. Denzel isn’t  regular cop. Hydraulics show that denzel is a flexible cop, compared to hawk who is rigid and follows the rules

Breakings eggs - breaking the ice

Eggs cooking - hawk gets cooked/roasted

Clean cut cop looks messy

Black cop dressed stereotypically - chains, skully/beanie

Denzel has his guns out, aggressive, always ready for a fight

Gun cocking scene - catches his neck in the slide

The movie opens with a cityscape time lapse, in itself this  is a typical opening scene in a crime thriller. However this scene sets the tone very early on, the clouds do no conform to a movement patter, some go right & some go left. This is combined with the greyish tinge that the sky has to create a sinister undertone in a seemingly regular looking shot.

When the diner is introduced we see eggs being cracked over a hot plate. The cracking here represents how the cops are about to break the ice. And the cooking of the eggs shows how Jake is about ot get cooked/roasted by alonzo. We also see the use of diagetics, in the form of the radio, this creates a relaxing atmosphere and reminds us of a welcoming family style diner. When jake enters the bell rings and then the radio starts to fade out. This is foreshadows the conflict that is about to occur between the two cops. It also works as a clever piece of editing, in a tunnel vision style, as jake gets closer to alonzo the radio gets even quieter until finally fading out completely. This audio focus is followed throughout the rest of the diner scene, we see people in the background but they are not heard. We also here a police siren in the background which is an allusion to the conflict that is about to take place between the two.

The 180 degree line is very important in this scene, due to the dialogue based scene. However where the 180 degree line is obeyed they seem to break rules with the way they film the characters. The 180 degree rule usually com with over the shoulder shots of the upper torso and chest. However this mostly applies to Jake, Alonzo is filmed with lots of facial closeups that create his dominance over the scene. As Well as this they often film with a slant to show that Alonzo is annoyed by what is happening. The rest of the scene is a focused two shot with the occasional background actor. In these scenes the torso is the main focus as they never show the characters legs until they get up. This shows the body language of the two characters. Jake is sitting straight up which would normally show the more powerful character, however Alonzo's laid back attitude defeats Jakes straight backed authoritative figure.

Alonzo’s character is dressed somewhat stereotypically as a black man. He has his bling(chains) and his skully(beanie) and a black shirt. However he has a  high buttoned shirt which also shows he is a respectable man. This respectable gangster themed clothing works in his favour and he gains the audience's respect. Jake however is wearing everyday clothes, a button up with a beige jacket. This regular John Doe clothing shows that he blends into the scene whereas Alonzo steals your attention, once again showing his dominance. Alonzo also has his guns out in the open, this shows that he is ready for a fight, whereas Jake doesn't even seem to have a gun.

When they leave the diner Alonzo bangs on the table and tells Jake to pay the bill. This forceful violent action is not challenged and we cut straight to the street. This also shows that Jake is coward as he does not even try to challenge Alonzo. When we arrive at the car we see that Alonzo is a driving a monte carlo lowrider with hydraulics. This once again shows that he is not your regular run of the mill policeman, he doesn't even lock his doors which shows that no one messes with him. They then proceed to enter the vehicle and we get a series of cut to action shots. We do not see Alonzo getting into the car, suggesting that this is his daily routine, however the focus is on Jake at this point and it shows that he doesn't really know what he is doing. When they get in the car we see a strange slant shot from Alonzo's lap, this shows how uncomfortable Jake is in the situation. Alonzo then takes out one of his guns and cocks it, catching Jake's neck in the slide. This shows that Jake is now in it for the long haul, suggesting that Alonzo has now trapped him.

Thriller Sub Genres

• Action Thriller 
• Mis En Scene 
• Dim lighting to put the audience on edge 
• Mostly in small spaces or open terrain, plays on claustrophobic spaces or large "kill zones" 
• Key characters rarely in the same room together - elusivity and "the chase" 
• Editing 
• Lots of cuts - shows the pace of the scenes 
• cuts to characters - shows emotion and immerses the audience 
• explosions & overtop effects - draws attention 
• Sound 
• Human, lots of footsteps and breathing, often employ the use of heartbeat sounds and ear ringing. Stereotypical scream sound (Wilhelm Scream) 
• Environmental, birds chirping, streams(water), wind and vehicle noises (tire screech and helicopter roters) 
• Action, Thuds, unrealistic gun noise when raising gun. Pinging noises of shell casings. 
• Cinematography 
• High Angle Shots - Needed to set the scene in new action sequences 
• Corridor Shots - Used in fight scenes to give a clear view of action 
• Close Ups - Mostly used to show frustration or in scenes where characters found out something bad. Also used to show a dying persons face. Particularly useful when it is unclear if someone dies (foreshadows comebacks) 
• Psychological Thriller
• Mis En Scene
• Minimal setting puts emphasis on the character
• Lots of Blue and White light - very in your face & unatural
• Takes place in small rooms or in a repetetive environment
• Editing
• Cuts are done to focus on character movement - match on action (if you can call it action)
• Long drawn out scenes - most editing done is lighting or post production effects
• Sound
• High pitched noises & creakes - unnerves the audience
• Whispers to enforce deterioration of psyche
• Foot steps - more eeriness
• Cinematography
• Door shots with feet underneath
• Facial closeups - actor looks away from camera(staring into nothing), continues the degredation of characters mind
• Pan shots of setting - shows the characters isolation
• Supernatural Thriller
• Mis En Scene
• Jumbled settings - shows the non-sensicality of the situation
• Extreme darkness - light will only be on the characters in many situations
• Mostly in secluded areas - farms etc. 
• Films like "Lights Out" show that setting is trumped by lighting
• Editing
• Lots of cuts to killers pov - shows the helplessness of the characters
• Likes to cut to third person shots of Protagonist - we can see the error of their actions more cleary
• Lots of lighting and post production
• Filters - sepia tinge etc
• Sound
• Scraping and cracking - Symbolises presence of the Antagonist
• Echo's, immersed in the protagonists confusion + creepy
• Wind Whistling, bushes rustling - atmospheric sounds
• Cinematography
• Set Shots - camera is still and actions moves across the screen, this makes it seem like they are being watched
• Low angles & Wormholes - adds lots of confusing scenes to disrupt equilibrium
• Handheld - immerses the audience even further, handheld is very useful as it draws attention towards the middle of the screen. Due to the HUD around the screen the audience are less likely to notice disturbances around the friges of the scene. Therefore making it easier to add in jump scares etc.
• Crime Thriller
• Mis En Scene
• sets show organised messes - crime scenes will often be messy but evidence and such will be clear to see. Very obvious actions from characters
• LOVE to use alley ways and hallways - alley ways and hallways are the bread and butter of a Crime Thriller, they are the perfect place to commit a crime (insert dumpster here) and are easily used in get-away scenes.
• Editing
• Cuts closer and further away from character - shows the changing situations and provides body to characters quick thinking
• Mostly lighting and such - in period films they also have to put in skylines and big picture settings.
• Sound
• Footsteps dominate the soundtrack - without footsteps a crime thriller would be very lacking in immersion, the pace and volume of footsteps dictate the atmosphere and foreshadow action in scenes
• Atmospheric Sounds are very important - they signify whether a situation is under control or not, when the atmosphere is quiet the situation is normally fine, however when they start adding in wind and other such noises something will usually take a turn for the worst.
• Cinematography
• High Angle POV shots - this immerses the audience in the initial surveillence of scenes, it also allows the audience to see things coming which brings them satisfaction when the character eventually acts on this.
• Set Shots - often used when arriving to a new scene, this is particularly useful when vehicles are involved. "No country for old men" & "The Zodiac" are two films that enjoy using Set Shots when involving vehicles.
• Spy/Espionage/Political
• Mis En Scene
• Very Orgasnised Set Design - These films are supposed to show a sophisticated take on life and sets often reflect this. 
• Disorganised Set Design - when a set is disorganised it is either showing something bad has happened or to demonstrate the disatrous consequences that could befall should the Protagonist fail
• Editing
• Lots of over the shoulder shots and tracking shots, this is due to the large amount of dialogue found in this genre. Because plot and script are so important editing is done so that the audience is always up close with the action
• Explosions that cut to a facial closeup - done to show that the Protagonist is unphased by the situation at hand
• Sound
• Mellow sounds, often lots of nature - once again reinforces the calm and collected manner of the Spy, however can also be seen as the calm before the storm
• Theme Tune - James Bond eat your heart out, the Spy Genre's key stone selling point, no movie is complete without it. They are often orchestral pieces, which (you guessed it!) show sophistication
• Cinematography
• 180 degree line is EVERYTHING, this once again is done because there is so much dialogue
• Lots of wide angle shots, this is done to allow for over the top action sequences involving cars, boats and flying things! They are also used to show setting, eg "Casino Royal" shows the grandeur of the event.
• Film Noir

Here is a short film demonstrating our understanding of Thriller sub-genres specifically Film Noir

Film Noir Plan

Story Boarding test

For this storyboarding test we were asked to re-create a childhood memory, think cinematically in terms of recreating the emotions felt at the time. I choose a childhood injury, a cracked head and tried to develop the urgency of the situation through the use of camera angles.

Why do we watch Scary Thrillers?

We watch scary things so we can purge(cleanse) and experience catharsis.

Aristotle
384 BC - 322 BC
We are drawn to violent, scary & negative imagery or experiences to release pent up feelings of aggression.

Dolf Zillmann
Excitation and Transfer Theory
Experiencing scary & negative situations creates an intensifying amount of positive feelings once those feelings of negativity are removed.

Glenn D. Walters
For films to be scary they must have tension & suspense. They must be unrealistic. They must employ the use of the micro elements and have a narrative.

Basic Conventions of a Thriller

Credit Structure

The Panic Room Opening Sequence

1. Columbia Cinematic
2. Studio Name
3. Production Companies
4. Main Actors/Stars
5. Movie Title
6. Co-Stars
7. Casting Staff
8. Costume Design
9. Music
10. Editors
11. Production Design
12. Director of Photography + Qualifications
13. Producers
14. Writer
15. Director

Ideology

• An ideology is a collection of beliefs held by an individual, group, or society.
• A set of conscious or unconscious ideas which make up expectations or motivations
• Hegemony
• A set of beliefs imposed by the dominant social group that is accepted by the rest of society.
• Common sense
• False Consciousness

Tzvetan Todorov

Theory of Narrative (Russian Folk Tales)

1. A state of Equilibrium
2. A disruption of the Equilibrium by some action
3. A recognition that there has been a disruption
4. Dealing with the Disruption
5. A reinstatement of Equilibrium (Usually different from the start)

Genre

How do we categorise film?

1. Process? - Animation, CGI
2. Audience Response? - Comedy/Horror
3. Story - Coming of Age
4. Location - Western, Sci-Fi

Genres are not a system, they are a process. That process is dynamic & evolves overtime Genres are instances of repetition & difference.

Hollywoods generic regime has two interrelated functions. One, is to guarantee meaning & pleasure for audiences. Two, to offset the considerable economic risks of film by providing, Cognitive Collateral Against Innovation & Difference.

Sound

• Diegetic
• What the Characters can here
• Non-Diegetic
• Sound added in post production
• What characters cant here

Continuity Editing (Invisible Editing)

• Editing that is used to create logical coherence for the audience.
• The flow of time & space
• Eye Line Match
• When a character looks off screen, &, the image shifts to match a higher gaze
• Establishing Shots
• Sets the Scene
• Location
• Time of Day
• Period/Place in History
• Mood
• Match on Action
• The movement of an object/character matches that of the previous cut/scene
• 180 degree line
• Duration & Order

Conventions & Codes

• Conventions are the generally accepted way of doing things, they are what the audience expects to see.
• Codes
• Codes are systems of signs, which create meanings. Codes can be divided into two categories - Technical and Symbolic
• Technical
• Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text, for example camera work in a film.
• Symbolic
• Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see. For example a characters actions show you how the character is feeling.
• Some codes fit both categories - music for example is both technical & symbolic

Semiotics

• Semiotics is the study of signs, &, Signs have two parts. 
• The signifier, which we see, hear and touch. 
• The signified which is the effect of the signifier.
• Denotation - The common sense/obvious meaning
• Connotation - The cultural/personal association

Roland Barthes

• Barthes's many monthly contributions that were collected in hisMythologies (1957) frequently interrogated specific cultural materials in order to expose how bourgeois society asserted its values through them. For example, the portrayal of wine in French society as a robust and healthy habit is a bourgeois ideal that is contradicted by certain realities (i.e., that wine can be unhealthy and inebriating). He found semiotics, the study of signs, useful in these interrogations. Barthes explained that these bourgeois cultural myths were "second-order signs," or "connotations." A picture of a full, dark bottle is a signifier that relates to a specific signified: a fermented, alcoholic beverage. However, the bourgeoisie relate it to a new signified: the idea of healthy, robust, relaxing experience. Motivations for such manipulations vary, from a desire to sell products to a simple desire to maintain the status quo. These insights brought Barthes in line with similar Marxist theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Barthes#Semiotics_and_myth
• 3 Types of Sign
• Icon
• The signifier has a resemblance to the signified
• Index
• The signifier is connected, directly or casually
• Symbol
• The connection is arbitrary

The Zodiac

The Zodiac Killer

• Director: David Fincher
• Fight Club
• Se7en
• The Game
• Panic Room
• Gone Girl
• Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Alien 3
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Actors
• Mark Ruffalo
• David Toschi
• No Nonsense
• Stylish
• Experienced
• Balanced Life
• Solid Evidence
• Due Process
• Does things to the book
• Follows the Rules
• Jake Gyllenhall
• Robert Graysmith
• Obsessed
• Boy Scout
• Unique
• Nice Guy
• Disorganised
• Frantic
• Method to the Madness
• Stands out from the crowd
• Outsider
• Robert Downy Junior
• Paul Avery
• Nonschalante
• Drunk
• Up-Front/Straight Up
• Genre
• Crime Thriller
• Serial Killer
• Biographical
• Historical - Period Film
• Serial Killer --> Calm --> Victim --> Investigation --> Victim --> Tracking --> Closing In on Killer --> Killer Brought to Justice
• In the movies about serial killers, the Killer is conventionally portrayed to be obsessive about his killings, however in "The Zodiac" the obsessive character is the cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhall). There is also no closure in the film as they never catch the killer, this is due to the film being based on a true story. He is a californian killer and he will never be shot(convention) due to the lack of death penalty. The investigators also never seem to get the upper hand in the movie, this is also due to lack of plot conventions as the killings in this case were completely random.
• The Zodiac & Serail Killer Conventions -
• There is no Closure, Never caught him in real life 
• There is no calm, the movie opens to a killing 
• Investigators never in control
• Narrative Range
• Unrestricted - Big Picture
• The audience knows and sees more than the characters
• Know about the killings
• Know the killer was never caught
• 1968-1990, very big case
• Big Picture
• High Angle Shots (Often Establishing Shots)
• Reminds us of the big picture of the plot
• Omnipotent
• Cold, Unemotional, Clinical, Floating (Overly Perfected)
• Restricted - Detail
• Characters and audience learn story simultaneously
• Details of the case
• Arthur Leigh Allen becomes a suspect
• Complexity of the investigation
• Detail
• Inside of Cars - Claustrophobic, Trapped
• Gives a POV of the scene to provide evidence

One Minute Film Challenge

Analysis of the imitation imitation game

Plot

We decided to make the trailer as a culmination of key scenes in the real film, as well as filming one or two transitional scenes. The transitional scenes were used so we did not have too many important sequences placed one after the other, they also allowed us to show the change in setting more smoothly.

Filming Techniques

The majority of the filming was done using a tripod, although it was not necessary to use a tripod at all times I decided it best represented Alan Turing’s personality as he is often calm and collected. We also filmed a pan shot where the camera was secured to the tripod and placed inside of the basket on a bicycle. However, because of the glass between the camera and the subject the scene had to be scrapped due to the extremely visible reflection.

Editing

During the editing process I had to carefully select scenes based on both film and sound quality. We did not take into account microphone pickup volume during filming and I was forced to choose one or two of the less well shot scenes purely because the sound was more clear. In one instance none of the takes picked up the sound, and increasing the volume only brought out the interference, here I had to record a new sound bite and cut it to fit the length of the scene.

What to do differently

In future it would be beneficial to invest in a microphone, either to attach to the camera or to be held above the actors. I would also try to use a camera with better auto focus to create a more seamless and immersive experience. Another solution would to use a camera with a shorter focal length so that it can capture acceptable detail in both close ups and extreme close ups without an obnoxiously visible blur. In future projects I would also pay much closer attention to mis-en-scene as there is one sequence in the video where an object disappears from the scene completely.

­­­­­­What I gained from this

Filming the one-minute film challenge I think I have gained some experience in the use of different cinematographic skills to create a desired effect on the audience. I have also learnt how using pre-recorded voices over the scene can also help to draw attention to that scene in particular. It has also taught me how crucial editing and scene order is to the final product.

The Heat Cinematography

Tracking Close Up One of the initial shots of the scene. This is used to set the tone early on. By having a close up and tracking shot on his feet it firstly disconnects the audience from the character which supports the idea that the heist was a stealthily set up as the thieves were not identified by the security. It also shows a “calm before the storm”, although it is not silent in the seen all you see is the feet which in effects silences everything else.

 High Angle Shot Used to set the scene. Shows how outnumbered they are but by panning from the thief to the office it shows that they have total view and control of the situation. Also shows any potential problems that they will face.

 Long Shot Gives another overview of the area. Shows one of the thieves getting into position and reveals another guard. Around him it is business as usual, once again showing how incognito the thieves are. 

 Over The Shoulder/Two Shot The over the shoulder camera angle shows that either the security guard or the thief will be restrained. However it can also be seen that the thief is the one at a disadvantage as he has his back turned to the guard. 

 Mid Shot Shows the guard as another target who is oblivious to what is about to happen. As the main man guarding the safe this shows why the robbers were able to infiltrate the bank so quickly. 

 Shaky Cam As the action begins this shows the erratic behaviour of the civilians who are frightened for their lives. Coming after the guard is beaten unconscious it also works as his view of the situation as he is knocked around. 

 High Angle Longshot Shows that the thieves have taken over the bank without trouble. In the previous High angle shot exits were shown clearly however now it shows that the bank is in a lockdown situation. The subdued bankers also show the power the thieves have even though they are severely outnumbered. 

 Two Shot This is the first shot that shows a clear view of how heavily armed the robbers are. It also shows that although they have guns they are need to remain discreet as to not alert anyone of the heist. It only shows the torso of the man which takes up half of the screen. This continues to show how powerful he is.

Neon Text In After Effects

I want to use neon in film title scenes mainly, however i do intend to use it just to add gravitas to posters or anything else that I could use it in. I originally intended to use it in the one minute film challenge, however I could not figure out that i was missing a black solid behind the pre-comp, which was stopping the glow colour to change.

The first step is to insert some text, for simplicity's sake I used NEON. It is best to choose a large & bold font, as a thinner font will suffer from some blur and will not look as crisp.

To get started create a mask from the text. This will create a white text outline.

Now you should pre-comp the mask. Be sure to move all the attributes to the new composition just to make it easier.

From here you should create a new solid and place it in the background. It can be any colour but black means you can create a visible glow in most colours. This is where I got held up, because the background is black anyway it is easy to forget about adding the solid. Without it the glow will not change colour later in process.

Add a "fast blur" effect.

Now copy the outline as many times as you feel you need. I normally make 4 copies.

Do not add a blur to the first outline, skip straight to the second. I start with 5 so it doesn't make it extremely blurry.

For the second, third and fourth I choose 20, 100 and 150 respectively.

End result of the fast blur.

Now return to the original composition, I change the mode of the pre-comp to add. Then add a "colour balance" effect.

Now you can edit the colour of the glow.

To colour the text move the text layer on top, then use the "Change Colour To" tool to match the colours.